Craig Venter and his team create the first ever life-form in the laboratory - from scratch. No 'life-force' was breathed into it. No force locomotif. No divine grace or powers. No prayers. No quivering transcendental jelly. None of these. Just merely some DNA containing the bare minimum of genes.
A gene for creating an enzyme called DNA replicase to replicate DNA.
A gene for transcribing DNA into RNA
A gene for making messenger RNA.
A gene for making transfer RNA.
A gene for making ribosomes for making proteins from amino acids.
A cohort of genes for cellular replication.
A couple of genes for microtubules to initiate the cellular dance.
A gene for making protein transporters to take up materials from outside the cell membrane. And a few others.
All these genes were put together on a computer programme. Then spliced together from bits of DNA from mail order catalogues. The resulting genome was then placed in the nucleus of an empty shell of a cell and...voila! There was thunder! There was brimstone and lightning! There were infernal sparks! The gods bellowed and from their nostrils black plumes of gangrene smoke! They rained wrath down upon our heads! The gods were angry and sulking because now that mankind had taken this step - there was nothing for them to do! They were out of a job.
retire oh gods
to your home of the aged
or
the unemployment office.
Live out your last days
staring out of the window
pane
of your retirement home
for your joints ache
and your heads hurt
and your fingers
once so nimble
that they could fashion
remarkable creatures
so beautiful and strange
now
can barely
stay still.
